FAB22941
Revit Tricks for Fabricators
Nicholas Bowley
IMAGINiT Technologies
Learning Objectives
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Import as-built conditions from Fabrication CADmep to Revit
Model in Revit using Fabrication Parts
Detail your model using annotations
Create Spool Sheets
Perform takeoffs using schedules
Export from Revit to Fabrication CADmep
Description
Learn advanced skills capitalizing on the new Fabrication functionality in Revit 2017 software.
Using Revit schedules, assemblies, tags, views, interference checking, and new features in
Revit 2017 software, we can produce fabrication documentation inside of the Revit software
interface, which enables us to be fully coordinated with design consultants. We’ll cover how to
model using Fabrication Parts; how to convert the design model into Fabrication Parts; how to
use assembly views to create spools sheets and details; how to annotate Fabrication Parts in
plan view and 3D; how to coordinate with other consultants in Revit software; how new Revit
2017 software features relate to Fabrication Parts; and how to import existing as-built conditions
from Fabrication CADmep software into a new renovation project. This session features Revit
and Fabrication CADmep.
Your AU Expert
With more than a decade of experience, Nicholas works with clients to
help them make the most of their design technology. Whether it’s through
training, process improvements or custom content creation; Nicholas pulls
on his background in architectural and MEP design as well as
construction to provide the best service to clients.
Nick has been performing consulting for IMAGINiT Technologies since March 2014.
Nick worked as a Mechanical Designer for a leading MEP Engineering firm in the Mid Atlantic
area since 2001.
Twitter: @NicholasBowley
Blogs and Whitepapers can be found at: http://portal.imaginit.com/
Email: [email protected]
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Session Handout and Presentation
Get the most current version of this handout and presentation using the A360 link below:
http://a360.co/2cKsNXv
Contents
Revit Tricks for Fabricators ........................................................................................................ 3
Why Would We Want to Work in Revit? .............................................................................. 3
Import As-Built Conditions from Fabrication CADmep to Revit ....................................... 3
Install the Revit Extension for Fabrication Add-In ................................................................ 3
Import As-Built Fabrication Model into Revit ........................................................................ 4
Converting the Design Model to a Fabrication Model ........................................................ 4
Design to Fabrication – New in 2017................................................................................... 4
Model in Revit using Fabrication Parts ............................................................................... 5
Loading Fabrication CADmep Services ............................................................................... 5
Connect to Revit Elements .................................................................................................. 5
Route and Fill...................................................................................................................... 5
Pipe and Duct Segment Lengths......................................................................................... 7
Global Revit Commands ..................................................................................................... 9
Detail Your Model Using Annotations ....................................................................................12
Dimensions ........................................................................................................................12
Tags...................................................................................................................................13
Add Color to Distinquish Between Systems or Hide ...........................................................15
Create Spool Sheets .............................................................................................................17
Make a Selection ...............................................................................................................17
Turn Your Selection into an Assembly ...............................................................................18
Create Views .....................................................................................................................19
Annotate the 3D View ........................................................................................................24
Export from Revit to Fabrication CADmep ........................................................................25
Install the Revit Extension for Fabrication Add-In ...............................................................25
Using the RME to FAB Add-In............................................................................................26
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Revit Tricks for Fabricators
Why Would We Want to Work in Revit?
WWWWWR, I think I just create a new acronym.
Revit has become the primary documentation program of choice in the AEC industry for
Architects, Structural Engineers, and MEP Engineers. One of the main reasons for this is the
improved coordination of having all building model geometry on a single platform improving live
coordination with all disciplines. Being able to view the entire building and all disciplines
seamlessly is lacking in all other programs. To be able to create a fabrication model in Revit is
an improvement not just for us, but also for all the other disciplines trying to understand the real
world constraints involved with the installation.
Figure 1 (The flow of Revit models)
Import As-Built Conditions from Fabrication CADmep to Revit
We have the ability to take an as-built condition model created using Fabrication CADmep and
import that model into Revit. This process will turn those objects into Fabrication Parts in Revit
which can be modified in Revit.
Install the Revit Extension for Fabrication Add-In
You can find the add-in under this link:
https://apps.autodesk.com/RVT/en/Detail/Index?id=6548483740320612761
Even though Autodesk Apps site shows it as compatible for Autodesk Revit 2016, it will also
work in Revit 2017.
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It will be added to the Add-Ins ribbons as show in Figure 2
Figure 2 (Revit Extension for Fabrication as shown in Revit)
Import As-Built Fabrication Model into Revit
When you execute the Revit Extension for Fabrication add-in, you will be looking for a .maj file
type. This file was exported from Fabrication CADmep using the CreateCam. This is not really
an import or export because it is the same content and format and doesn’t not require any
mapping.
Note: You cannot import to a project that already has Fabrication Parts. Import into a new file
then copy into your project.
Converting the Design Model to a Fabrication Model
Design to Fabrication – New in 2017
If you are able to starting with a well modelled MEP design model in 2017, this will change your
life.
When you select and design level duct or pipe, you will notice a new button in the Modify/MultiSelect contextual ribbon.
Figure 3 (Design to Fabrication button in the ribbon)
When you click on this button, you will be prompted with a dialogue box to choose which service
to map those elements.
Figure 4 (Choosing a Service to Map)
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Only services that have already been loaded will show up in the list. Only one person needs to
load services, someone without Fabrication CADmep can model using those services once they
have been loaded. Someone with Fabrication CADmep can load any of the same services they
have setup in CADmep in Revit. They use the same registries and locations.
Recommend: MSF21097 - Fabrication Parts in Revit: Understanding How Design to Fabrication Works in
Revit
By: Kevin Allen & William Tucker
Model in Revit using Fabrication Parts
Loading Fabrication CADmep Services
Any configurations being used in Fabrication CADmep can be loaded into Revit. Once loaded,
any Revit user can place those elements but not reload updated services. Install a network
license of Fabrication CADmep to allow users the ability to at least reload services.
Recommend: MEP21505-L - Fabrication Boot Camp: Hacking ITM Content / Content "Management”
By: Darren Young
Connect to Revit Elements
You may connect fabrication parts to Revit elements like mechanical equipment. The piping will
size, orientate, and elevate itself automatically to match the connectors of the elements.
Figure 5 (Connecting to Revit Elements)
Figure 6
Route and Fill
We don’t have design lines in Revit but what we do have it the Route and Fill command. This
can be used as an alternative to placing each individual part, but this tool can hugely helpful
with offsets, and branches.
Select a Fabrication part with an open connection, choose Route and Fill, then draw a line from
the open connection to another open connection or duct/pipe.
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Figure 7
Figure 8
You can also you this for breaking into a duct or pipe with a Tee by activating the Cut Into
option found in the Route and Fill – Solutions contextual ribbon.
Figure 9
Select a Fabrication part with an open connection, choose Route and Fill, activate
draw a line from the open connection to the center of a duct/pipe.
Figure 10
then
Figure 11
Here is the use of Route and Fill to perform an offset.
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Figure 12
Figure 13
When using Route and Fill you may cycle thru Solutions using different fittings and routes by
using the arrows in the Route and Fill contextual ribbon, clicking the on-screen nodes, or in the
Fabrication Parts palette.
Figure 14 (Route and Fill ribbon)
Figure 15 (On-Screen Nodes)
Figure 16 (Fabrication Part palette)
Pipe and Duct Segment Lengths
Without the Route and Fill Option, you need to place each segment of duct and pipe. For a long
run this can be tedious compared to Design Lines. In the cases of long runs I will often draw a
segment and stretch it to the desired length.
Then use
to turn it into the segment lengths as set by the service.
can be
found in the Modify Fabrication Ductwork/Pipe contextual ribbon after selecting a duct/pipe.
Figure 12
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Figure 13 (Place a Duct)
Figure 14 (Stretch the Duct and make connections)
Figure 15 (Optimize Lengths)
Edit Part
If you want to place ductwork at a length segments other than what the service is set to,
before placing a duct or pipe, click Edit Part which can be found in the Modify I Place
Duct/Pipe contextual ribbon. Change the Length Setting to Value and adjust the Value
as desired. If you have manually assigned segment lengths here, do NOT use optimize
lengths otherwise the lengths will be overridden with the length set by the service.
Change the Setting back to Auto when finished.
Figure 16 (Edit Part)
Figure 17 (Override the Length Setting)
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Figure 18 (Overridden Lengths – Top, Auto Length – Below)
Better Coordination Between Fabrication and Design Disciplines
Being able to model and coordinate in the same program as the design disciplines allows better
communication and what I like to call “Clash Prevention”.
Using a tool introduced in 2016 call “Selection Box”
we can quickly isolate an area of work
to view and coordinate in 3D. The selection box can be located in Modify ribbon AFTER making
a selection of elements in Revit.
Figure 19
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Figure 20
Click on the edge of the box to view grips
that can be used to adjust the viewing area.
Create and Modify elements in either plan view or 3D view to avoid collisions.
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Figure 21
Tile windows to see changes occur in 3D and Plan view simultaneously.
Figure 22
Why find wait to find clashes in Navisworks when you can prevent and correct clashes in the
same program as the original model.
Global Revit Commands
Some of my favorite Revit commands work just as well with Fabrication Parts.
Create Similar (CS) – after selecting a single object, right click on your mouse and choose
Create Similar. This will being the command to place another version of the same object you
selected with the same properties.
Space Bar to Rotate – When placing a Fabrication Part like a pipe elbow for example, tap the
space bar to rotate the elbow at 45 degree increments.
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Arrow Keys to Nudge – Use your arrow keys to move an object. Objects connected inline will
adjust with that object similar to performing a Stretch in AutoCAD. There is no stretch
command in Revit and it isn’t needed. The nudge distance is incremental to how close you are
zoomed in. Use Shift+Arrow to nudge at greater increments.
Fun Fact: Use Ctrl+Arrow to nudge in AutoCAD.
Feet no Inches – When entering lengths in Revit, the default is feet. So when you type 2
during an action it would mean 2’-0”. When entering feet and inches my preferred input is “feet
<space> inch <space> fractional-inch”.
For example 2’-6 ½” can be entered as 2 6 ½ or 2 6.5
Detail Your Model Using Annotations
Annotations are one of the many great tools in Revit. In many ways they are very similar to the
functionality in Fabrication CADmep.
Dimensions
In most cases you will want to use the Aligned dimension type. Aligned dimensions can be
pulled from surfaces or points as opposed to Linear Dimensions which require endpoints. The
Aligned dimension does not have the same behavior as it did in AutoCAD.
Find the Aligned dimension command in the Annotation ribbon. Click on two surfaces or points
to place the dimension. If you want to reference a different part of an element, hit the tab button
to cycle thru different references. After picking two or more references to dimension, click in a
blank area to place the dimension.
Figure 23
Figure 24
A distinct difference from AutoCAD is that dimensions in Revit can be used to modify elements
and geometry.
1. You must select an object that will be modified by the change in the dimension.
2. The dimension text will become small and blue which indicates it is now editable
3. Click on the text and change the value.
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Figure 25 (Select Object that Moves)
Figure 26 (Edit Dimension with New Value)
Modify or add dimension references by selecting a dimension and click
be found in the Modify Dimension contextual ribbon.
Figure 27 (Edit Witness Lines)
which can
Figure 28 (Additional Dimension)
Tags
Tags is the Revit term for text that is reading information from modelled elements. In Revit 2016
we only had one tag category but New in Revit 2017 we now have four.
Figure 29 (Revit 2016 Categories)
Figure 30 (Revit 2017 Categories)
In Revit 2016 we had 19 labels, most of which are generic for all Revit elements. New in Revit
2017 we have 43 labels across 4 categories effectively adding 24 new labels for Ductwork Tags
alone not to mention the other 3 categories. What this means is that you need to use Revit
2017.
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Figure 31 (Revit 2016 Label Parameters)
Figure 32 (Revit 2017 Duct Label Parameters)
We can create a single tag or multiple tags for the category with any combination of the
available parameters available to us in Revit 2017. Don’t feel limit to the tags pre-made with the
Revit install.
Let’s make a custom tag.
1. Click the Application Menu and choose New / Family.
Figure 33
2. Use the Generic Annotation.rft from the Annotations folder.
3. Change the Category to MEP Fabrication Ductwork Tag using the button from Figure 30.
Figure 34
4. On the Annotation ribbon click Label and in the middle of the screen to place the label.
5. Use the parameters and changes matching Figure 31 below.
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Figure 35
6. Click “Load Into Project and Close” to bring it into the project. Use the Tag by Category
command to place it in the model.
Figure 36
Add Color to Distinguish Between Systems or Hide
You will want to setup filters in Revit to perform 2 tasks. Filters enable you to graphically
distinguish systems by finding a system based on a rule and allowing you to assign a color to
the elements the rule finds. You can also use filters to turn off systems on a plan in order to
have another plan dedicated to that system. For example, we don’t want to show Sanitary and
Vent piping on our plan with the HVAC Piping.
1. Locate your Revit filters by accessing your view template, or if you are not using a view
template by clicking “Visibility Graphic Overrides – Edit” in your Properties palette.
Figure 37
2. Locate the Filters tab.
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Figure 38
3. Click on the Add button then Edit/New
4. Click the New Filter
button to create a new filter
5. Here are some examples of two rules, one for ductwork and one for piping.
Figure 39
Figure 40
6. After creating your filters, click OK.
7. In the next dialogue box, select the filters you want to add to your view and click OK.
8. Now you can use these filters to assign a color to turn off everything on that system.
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Figure 41
Figure 42
Figure 43
Create Spool Sheets
There is an under-utilized tool in Revit called Assemblies. Assemblies allow us to create a
dedicated set of views for a selection.
Make a Selection
There are several ways to make a selection. You can select individual elements using
Ctrl+Left Mouse Button, deselect elements by holding Shift+Left Mouse Button.
Just like AutoCAD you can perform a window selection. Picking a window from left to right
means objects completely in the window are selected. Picking a window from right to left
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means any objects inside the window or crossing the window will be selected. Just like
AutoCAD.
You may also hover you mouse cursor over a duct or pipe and hit the tab key. Hitting the tab
key once select the branch, twice will select the branch and main and other branches, three
times will select the branch and main all the way back to the source equipment, a four time will
select all elements connected to the object you are hovering over. Finalize your selection by
clicking the left mouse button.
Figure 44
Turn Your Selection into an Assembly
After making your selection, click on the Create Assembly button in the Create Panel under the
Modify ribbon.
Figure 45
Name your assembly when prompted.
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Figure 46
With the Assembly selected, you can click
in the Modify ribbon. While in this edit
mode you may add or remove elements from your assembly or draw additional ones.
Figure 47 (Adding to the Selection)
Figure 48 (Updated Selection)
Create Views
With your Assembly selected, click Create Views in the Modify ribbon.
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Figure 49
When prompted match the selection in Figure 39.
Figure 50
Make 3 copies of the MEP Fabrication Pipework Schedule and name them:
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The properties for each schedule are here:
Bill of Materials (Fittings)
Figure 51
Figure 52
Figure 53
Figure 54
Bill of Materials (Pipe)
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Figure 55
Figure 56
Figure 57
Figure 58
Bill of Materials (Welds)
Figure 59
Figure 60
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Figure 61
Figure 62
Right click on each schedule in the project browser and choose Create View Template from
View. Name each view template.
Figure 63
Click on each schedule in the project browser and assign the view template for each one in the
properties palette.
Figure 64
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Your next set of Spool schedules can simply have the correct view template assigned and they
will already be setup. New in Revit 2017, view templates can store all schedule properties.
Figure 65 (Revit 2017 View Template Parameters)
Figure 66 (Revit 2016 Parameters)
Figure 67 (BOM Schedules Placed on Spool Sheet)
Annotate the 3D View
We can dimension and tag our pipe and duct. In this exercise we will tag each element with a
different Mark value.
Create a Mark Tag
Create a new family using the steps we performed earlier in the lesson. Use a
Multi-Category Tag.rft view template.
In the Create ribbon, click the Label button
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Figure 68
In the dialogue box add the Mark parameter to the Label Parameters column
Figure 69
Draw linework around the label to match Figure 60.
Figure 70
Load the tag into the project and save it.
Tag the Pipe and Fittings
Use the Tag by Category button to tag the elements in the assembly.
Export from Revit to Fabrication CADmep
This is going to sound familiar to the beginning of this class. We can use the Revit Extension
for Fabrication to send your Fabrication Parts to Fabrication CADmep.
Install the Revit Extension for Fabrication Add-In
You can find the add-in under this link:
https://apps.autodesk.com/RVT/en/Detail/Index?id=6548483740320612761
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Even though Seek shows it as compatible for Autodesk Revit 2016, it will also work in Revit
2017.
It will be added to the Add-Ins ribbons as show in Figure 2
Figure 71 (Revit Extension for Fabrication as shown in Revit)
This is not really an export as nothing will change with the model elements. They are the same
objects as they were simply being saved in a format to be opened in another program.
Using the RME to FAB Add-In
For elements in Revit that are not Fabrication Parts which may include Mechanical Equipment,
Air Terminals, Plumbing Fixtures, and other categories. You can use the “RME to FAB” add-in.
For this we use the “Store Graphic Elements” button in the ribbon. The store Design Line
elements is a way to send Revit design ductwork and piping to FAB CADmep, however using
the Design to Fabrication button we don’t need to use this button.
Figure 72
After using the Store Graphics Elements and Store Design Line Elements, click the Out button
in the ribbon to export the elements to a .rif file type.
Open Fabrication CADmep.
Use the ProcessRun command to browse and import your .rif export from Revit.
Refer to the following AU Classes for more info on these steps:
MSF21097 - Fabrication Parts in Revit: Understanding How Design to Fabrication Works in Revit
MSF21377-L - The Optimal Revit-to-Fabrication Workflow
CONCLUSION
While we have many great tools in the Fabrication Suite toolbelt, Revit has been added to our
set of tools we can benefit from. We now have enough tools to perform all coordination and
documentation in Revit. We still use the other products in the Fabrication Suite for advanced
tools such as Fabrication CADmep for Shop Drawings, ESTmep for bids and costs, and
CAMduct for production.
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